Reception Star vs Halaxy
Free software still has a cost. When the product is free, your data is how they pay for it. Here's what that means for allied health practitioners in Australia.
Halaxy (formerly HealthKit, renamed in 2019 after Apple took the name) includes broad clauses in its privacy policy that permit aggregating and analysing practitioner and patient data. In practice, that means your patients' health information could contribute to datasets you didn't consent to and can't opt out of. This has been covered in IT press and raised in competitor reviews.
For psychologists, counsellors, and anyone working with sensitive cases, this is worth understanding before you store a single patient record.
Halaxy
Reception Star
Halaxy's free tier is real. Reception Star isn't free. Here's what paying gets you.
Patient names, contact details, clinical notes, and health records are encrypted before they reach the database. Not just "encrypted at rest" —genuinely unreadable.
SMS reminders, API access, everything — included.No credits to buy, no bundles to manage, no surprise draw-downs from five different features.
Work at two clinics?Switch between them. Halaxy recommends separate accounts with separate logins.
Full REST API with real-time webhooks. Halaxy charges 150 credits/month (~$33 AUD) for API access on top of your plan.
47¢ per appointment, capped at $67/month. One number. No tiers that push you to upgrade as you grow.
No aggregation, no research datasets, no analytics on your patient records. Your practice data exists to serve your practice.
Based on Capterra, G2, and SoftwareAdvice reviews (2024–2025).
Scheduling, patient records, invoicing, and online bookings at $0/month. Real and usable.
With Reception Star, SMS reminders are built in — it's 47¢ per appointment, capped at $67/month. No credit system to manage, no bundles to pre-purchase.
Reception Star costs more than Halaxy's free tier. That's a fact. The difference pays for application-level encryption, no credit system, and data ownership. If those don't matter to your practice, Halaxy's free tier is a solid choice.
| Your week | Halaxy free + SMS | Reception Star |
|---|---|---|
| 5 appointments/wk | $4.40/mo | $9.40 |
| 15 appointments/wk | $13.20/mo | $28.20 |
| 25 appointments/wk | $22.00/mo | $47 |
| 40 appointments/wk | $35.20/mo | $67 (capped) |
Halaxy SMS at $0.22/credit (Bronze tier, inc GST). Bulk discounts available at higher prepay amounts. Reception Star: initial $19 one-time + 47¢ per appointment including SMS reminders, capped at $67/month. All prices AUD.
Halaxy's paid plans ($29–$39/practitioner/month) add NDIS compliance, advanced automations, and faster support. SMS credits still extra on top.
| Your week | Halaxy $39 plan + SMS | Reception Star |
|---|---|---|
| 5 appointments/wk | $43.40/mo | $9.40 |
| 15 appointments/wk | $52.20/mo | $28.20 |
| 25 appointments/wk | $61.00/mo | $47 |
| 40 appointments/wk | $74.20/mo | $67 (capped) |
Halaxy $39.00/mo plan + SMS at $0.22/credit (Bronze tier, inc GST). Reception Star: initial $19 one-time + 47¢ per appointment including SMS reminders, capped at $67/month. All prices AUD.
Automation tools and custom integrations need API access. Halaxy offers an API with webhooks — but it costs 150 credits per month (~$30 AUD) on top of your plan, just for the privilege of connecting your own tools to your own data.
Halaxy
Reception Star
All features included. 47¢ per appointment, capped at $67/month. Cancel anytime.
Money-back guarantee. No questions asked.
Halaxy's free tier is real. If price is your only consideration, it's hard to beat. But if patient privacy, data ownership, and not managing a credit system matter to your practice, that's what Reception Star is for.